Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf) is an international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and discussion of high-quality research on the physical, chemical, and biological processes shaping Earth's surface and their interactions on all scales.

The main subject areas of ESurf comprise field measurements, remote sensing, and experimental and numerical modelling of Earth surface processes, and their interactions with the lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere. ESurf prioritizes studies with general implications for Earth surface science and especially values contributions that straddle discipline boundaries, enhance theory–observation feedback, and/or apply basic principles from physics, chemistry, or biology.

News

16 Jan 2019SUB Göttingen and Copernicus Publications introduced the National Consortium for Central Payment Processing of Article Processing Charges on 1 January 2019

14 scientific institutions have joined the national opt-in consortium for the central payment processing of APCs for articles of all journals published by Copernicus Publications.

16 Jan 2019SUB Göttingen and Copernicus Publications introduced the National Consortium for Central Payment Processing of Article Processing Charges on 1 January 2019

14 scientific institutions have joined the national opt-in consortium for the central payment processing of APCs for articles of all journals published by Copernicus Publications.

16 Jan 2019Institutional Agreement between Iowa State University Library and Copernicus Publications

Iowa State University Library and Copernicus Publications have signed an agreement on the central billing of article processing charges (APCs) to facilitate the publication procedure for authors.

16 Jan 2019Institutional Agreement between Iowa State University Library and Copernicus Publications

Iowa State University Library and Copernicus Publications have signed an agreement on the central billing of article processing charges (APCs) to facilitate the publication procedure for authors.

To facilitate the publication procedure for authors from Helsinki University, Copernicus Publications and Helsinki University Library have signed an agreement on a central billing of article processing charges (APCs).

To facilitate the publication procedure for authors from Helsinki University, Copernicus Publications and Helsinki University Library have signed an agreement on a central billing of article processing charges (APCs).

Our study reveals that worldwide mean erosion rates on the million-year timescale are very similar to present-day erosion rates in contrast to the majority of the previously published results. Concerning the dependence of erosion on climate, we found that the long-term erosion efficacy of the tropical zone has been about 5 times higher than that of the cold zones, while the erosional efficacy of the present-day arid zone has been as high as that of the temperate zone.

Standing on a riverbank, it is usually obvious which direction the river flows. However, when observing a river from space, we cannot see the flowing water and must use context to determine flow directions. For complicated river channel networks such as those of deltas and braided rivers, determining the flow direction of each channel within the network is not trivial. We present and demonstrate a method to automatically determine flow directions within aerially-viewed river channel networks.

The age of formation of sedimentary deposits is often interpreted to record information about past environmental changes. Here, we show that the timing of abandonment of surfaces also provides valuable information. We derive a new set of equations that can be used to estimate when a sedimentary surface was abandoned, based on what is known about its activity from surface dating. Estimates of abandonment age can benefit a variety of geomorphic analyses, which we illustrate with a case study.

High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) can now be acquired using airborne laser scanners. This allows for a detailed analysis of the geometry of landslides. Several large landslides were triggered by Typhoon Talas in Japan in 2011. The comparison of pre- and post-DEMs allowed us to test a method of defining landslide failure surfaces before catastrophic movements. It provides new results about the curvature of the failure surface and the volume expansion of the deposit.

Our findings examine several data inputs for probabilistic regional sea-level rise (SLR) impact predictions. To predict coastal response to SLR, detailed information on the landscape, including elevation, vegetation, and/or level of development, is needed. However, we find that the inherent relationship between elevation and land cover datasets (e.g., beaches tend to be low lying) is used to reduce error in a coastal response to SLR model, suggesting new applications for areas of limited data.

Clast imbrication, which is a depositional fabric where clasts overlap each other similar to a run of toppled dominoes, is one of the most conspicuous sedimentary structures in coarse-grained fluvial deposits. However, the conditions leading to this fabric have been contested. Here, we calculate the hydrological conditions for various stream gradients. We find that clast imbrication most likely forms where channel gradients exceed a threshold and where upper flow regime conditions prevail.

Here we provide the first results on the evolution of the Ayeyarwady delta, the last unstudied megadelta of Asia. In addition to its intrinsic value as a founding study on the Holocene development of this region, we advance new ideas on the climate control of monsoonal deltas as well as describe for the first time a feedback mechanism between tectonics and tidal hydrodynamics that can explain the peculiarities of the Ayeyarwady delta.

This article is a contribution to a special issue on Two centuries of modelling across scales. It describes the historical observations, evolving hypotheses, and early calculations that led to the development of the field of glacial isostatic sdjustment (GIA) modelling, which seeks to understand feedbacks between ice-sheet change, sea-level change, and solid Earth deformation. Recent and future advances are discussed. Future progress will likely involve an interdisciplinary approach.

The role of mountain uplift and associated silicate weathering in the global climate over geological times is controversial. Previous soil column models suggest that weathering falls at a high denudation rate. We present the results of a 3-D model that couples erosion and weathering, a CO2 consumer during mountain uplift. Our model suggests that the weathering of temporarily stocked colluvium may contribute significantly to the mountain weathering outflux at high denudation rates.